Sunrise over Malta

This was about 13 hours ago, it feels like a week. Me, Bob, Alice and a local Maltese Vet spent the pre dawn light up on a ridge Bob (an old hand at this) call Afghanistan. When a Turtle Dove comes through at speed and you here the shots ringing out tracing it's flight getting closer and closer to you you realise why. There were three hunters within 100metres of us (occasionally discharging their weapons to let us know they were near). It was pretty unpleasant. We saw to Honey Buzzards fly toward us, and over our heads and the heads of the hunters as they headed out South and toward Africa, we'd like to think that our presence stopped them being shot.

It's 10:44 as I write this, at the moment because of a big roost of birds of prey (~500) we have an all night team out near Buskett, and also there are a roost of 21 spoonbills near the hotel (I photographed them earlier this afternoon as they came in off the sea), there were 22 when they were first seen.

Anyway, I have drawn Gozo duty tomorrow and that means being on site for sun up,which means the 03:45 ferry, leaving the hotel at 03:00.

Just another day in paradise.

Tomorrow could be very bad for birds.